Saving Me
by Loveless87
Summary: All you need to banish the cold and darkness, is warmth and light... CloudXOC One-shot R&R!


**Saving Me**

Rain poured down my face, my body, creating puddles on the ground around and below me. I sat in the Ruins of Midgar, my arms resting on my knees, that I had drawn up toward my chest. My hair was sticking to me very uncomfortably, and I could feel the water running right through my clothes and against my skin. I was cold yes, freezing even. But I can't go back to the bar yet, I just needed to think things over for a little while longer.

It had been a couple of months since Cloud had fought, and once more rid the world of Sephiroth. He had moved back into the bar, and everyone was seeing him more than they had before. Marlene and Denzel were both giddy about him hanging around so much lately, getting to play with him more. But that was also making me miserable. I loved how Cloud was back, yes, but I could only watch from afar as he got close to everyone once again, but just pushed me away.

My right leg began to burn numbly, but I didn't think anything about it, just ignored the pain as I looked out over the ruined landscape. But my thoughts were shattered when the sound of a loud motor reached my ears, making me look back when it began to get louder as it also got closer. I looked back over my shoulder to see Cloud approaching on his bike, his skin slick with rain and his spikes slightly drooped.

"Come on, Tifa told me to come get you." Cloud's voice broke through the pouring rain, causing my heart to pound, yet seemed to sink at the exact same time.

"Fine." Getting up from where I was sitting, I hissed as I grabbed my ankle, the pain from before returning with a vengeance. My teeth clenched as I righted myself, walking over to Cloud again. He held out an extra pair of protective glasses that he brought with him, waiting for me to take them.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, I just hurt my ankle earlier." I muttered, dropping down behind him.

"Tifa should look at it when we get home." I said nothing as I wrapped my around him to make sure that I didn't fall back when the bike shot forward once more. It was rare times like these that I was actually able to be near Cloud without needing to make up excuses. Resting my head against his shoulder, I watched the rain flying by the both us. My skin was cold from sitting in the rain, with the wind now biting at my bare arms, the rain pelting down against us.

Buildings and people flashed by my view of sight, umbrella's protecting them from the rain. Couples walked down the street, holding hands, smiling to one another. I had to close my eyes against the sight, my heart aching inside my chest. I could feel the bike slow as we approached where the bar was. Before the bike even stopped I jumped off, remembering to land on my good leg, and jogged up the steps.

"Aneko? What's wrong?" Tifa stood behind the counter, putting away the last of the dishes where the belonged. I ignored her and placed Cloud's extra pair of glasses on one of the many tables that I had to pass by to get to the stairs. I also think I left a trail of water from my clothes, but I just wanted to get away. Reached the door of my room, I slipped inside quickly, closing the door silently. I shut the windows, the blinds, turned off the lights, and walked toward the washroom.

Closing the door, I left it unlocked, knowing that people in this house actually had manners and wouldn't just barge in. Well, maybe Yuffie, but she wasn't here. Turning on the shower, I made sure that the temperature was set as cold as it could go, before I pulled off my shirt leaving me only in my under shirt, then proceeded to removed my pants, leaving me in only my panties, top and bandages wrapped around my right leg.

Stepping into the shower like that, I hissed then the water hit my skin, but fell against the tiled wall, before sliding down until I was sitting under the spray. Reaching out, I pulled the glass door closed, so that the water didn't splash out onto the floor. Curling my legs up to my chest, I wrapped my arms carefully around them, avoiding my stigma on my right leg. The bandages were soaked at this point, nearly falling off from the weight. My top stuck to my chest and back, my hair getting heavier against my back and shoulders, stuck against my arms.

My body broke out into shivers as I knew my lips must have been turning blue by that point. I suppressed a huge shiver as I closed my eyes, resting my forehead against my knees. It had been one year. 12 months since I had first come to join the AVALANCHE group. Cloud hadn't really been around at the time, but Tifa had introduced us the first time that he did come to the bar to visit. It had also been 12 months since I had discovered that I had geostigma. I wanted to get rid of it, I really did, but there was no way to. Whenever I neared the church, it was like an alarm went off in Cloud's head and he was suddenly there. It was getting increasingly annoying. My back suddenly slipped on the wall of the shower, causing me to fall to the left, my shoulder clipping the side wall, before I hit the floor with a slight splash of the water that had pooled there, yet to go down the drain.

I could hear someone knock on the door, but faintly. I couldn't seem to move my body, and I was lying on the drain of the shower, stopping the water from escaping. My eyes cracked opened just slightly, allowing me to see the black that was beginning to flow into the water. My stigma was acting up again, but the freezing water dulled the pain. My eyes closed again, feeling the water beginning to rise up, almost reaching past my nose, my lips closed to stop the water from entering my mouth. Seconds later, my air supply was off, but I didn't have the sense to hold in my breath and water rushed in through my nose when I went to inhale again, flowing down my throat and into my lungs.

"Aneko?" Cloud's voice drifting through the door. I hadn't heard the door open. "Aneko!" Loud footfalls pounded on the floor, before the water suddenly began to lower in the shower, the freezing water stopping against my skin. Warm hands grasped my arms as I was pulled against something warm and soft, my wet skin beginning to drench whatever it was. Those hands then found my cheeks, as I was shaken. "Aneko?! Breathe!"

I wasn't breathing? Sure, I swallowed some water, but...

"Aneko!" A force came down hard on my chest, and I would have cried out if I could. Instead, water came rushing back up my throat, my eyes flying open to be met with only blurs. Air rushed into my lungs as I took a deep, shuddering breath, my throat burning as I did so. Hard coughs escaped through my lips as I leaned against the warmth, strong arms like warm steal wrapped around my shoulders, something warm coming to rest in the crook of my neck.

Was this Cloud?

"Were you trying to kill yourself?" I tried to shake my head, but I still couldn't move. My eyes began to droop once again, but at least my vision was getting slightly clearer. I could see, golden yellow, and dark blue....

"C....Cloud...."

My body was slowly beginning to warm up again, but shivers still shook through my form, my lips were probably still blue, and I was still soaked. Cloud suddenly shifted, before I was pulled up into his arms, and walked from the bathroom. Lying me down on my bed, he wrapped the blankets tightly around my form. I looked over to him with tired eyes, though everything was still a little foggy and I couldn't see his expression clearly. I could hear him take off his boots, before he moved onto the bed as well, lifting me into his lap as he moved his back against the headboard.

"I...wasn't trying...to kill....myself...." I struggled out, fighting against fatigue. Cloud's face appeared before my vision, and I could see this time, the shock in his eyes. "Couldn't....move." I mumbled, before my eyes slid closed, my head resting against Cloud's un-armoured shoulder.

"Aneko...your stigma has gotten so bad....."

Everything faded into black.

_Aneko....Aneko wake up...._

_I'm to tired_

_Aneko, please, just open your eyes....._

_Cloud? Is that you?_

_Aneko?_

I opened my eyes carefully, looking up at what was supposed to be my familiar, grey/blue ceiling, but instead, I looked into sky blue eyes, framed by spiked blond bangs. Worry swirled within the depths of those eyes, as well as relief. I blinked, trying to tell if I truly was awake.

"Cloud?"

"I was worried that you wouldn't wake." Cloud admitted in a small voice, moving away to give me room. I fumbled with my arms to try and get them free from the blankets, running them over my face in an attempt to wake myself when they were finally loose. I was still in Cloud's lap, his arms around my shoulders and knees to keep me up against him.

"You have a slight fever, but that should be gone soon. Why did you have the water so cold in your shower?" I flinched slightly when he mentioned the fever, causing my body to suddenly begin to pound in sore pain, heat beginning to engulf me.

"The cold numbs the pain."

"You mean the stigma."

"That's one part." I whispered, more to myself then to him. But he had heard. He suddenly shook me, making me look up to him. My eyes widened at his almost angered expression as he looked down at him, his hands tightening their grip on my arms. I was almost fearful of his wrath as he looked down at me with such a gaze.

"What else?"

"You never cared before, why do you seem so worried now?" My question seemed to throw him off as he leaned back again, looking down at me in confusion. "Ever since you fought off Kadaj and cured the stigma, you just seem to be pushing me away. Why are you pushing me away Cloud?" I fought the urge to cry, knowing that it was the last thing that needed to be thrown into the situation we were already in.

"Aneko..." Cloud's gaze softened, as well as his grip on my arms. "I never meant to push you away. Trust me when I say, I only wished to hold you as I am now, only on better terms." I smiled carefully at his words, to which he too seemed to relax as well. "You have no idea how much you worried me last night."

"I'm sorry Cloud. I know that I should have told you about the Stigma, but I was afraid." My eyes fell to rest on his left arm, where his own stigma used to be. "I've tried to cure it, but I didn't want you to know, so I always tried to do so when you weren't there."

"That's why you would always be at the church, just standing in the entrance." I couldn't fight it any longer and a single tear slipped from the corner of my eye. But I was left in shock when Cloud suddenly leaned down, and kissed the tear before it fell away. I looked over at him in surprise, to which he only smiled, which was a rare occasion all on its own, but even more for him to smile at me.

"I love you, Cloud." I didn't even know that I had said the words until Cloud's eyes widened in shock. I covered my mouth, trying to look away from his bright blue eyes. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything." I tried to sit up, my legs freeing from the blanket. But as soon as I sat up, my back was just once more against the mattress, Cloud's hands holding mine beside my head. He had that smile once more, his eyes dancing.

"I love you too, Aneko."

My eyes widened immensely as I looked up at him in shock. Moments later, his warm lips claimed mine, soft and welcoming. I smiled against his lips as he released my wrists and allowed me to lift a hand to place it back in his spiked hair, that was amazingly light and smooth. Cloud's hands found my cheeks as he rested his weight on his elbows. I could feel when his own lips pulled up into a smile, his thumb gently stroking my cheek.

_Maybe, things aren't as bad as I thought...._


End file.
